3 bold predictions for Lions vs. Bears

The Chicago Bears will face a familiar foe this week, only this time instead of traveling to Ford Field on Thanksgiving, they'll be home for the holidays at Soldier Field.

Santa Claus may or may not be coming to town for the Bears, who've done everything possible to ensure that their stockings are filled with nothing but coal this year. The Detroit Lions will be coming to Chicago though, and given the fact that they'll be licking their wounds after suffering their first loss since Week 2, the Bears shouldn't expect them to be in the Christmas spirit when they arrive.

The last time these two teams met was just three weeks ago, and that game went like so many others have for the Bears this season: fall way behind early, make a valiant comeback, and ultimately come up just short due to some act of incompetence that seems too ridiculous to be true.

The Bears have blown winnable games in an impressive variety of ways this year, and against the Lions, they managed to let the clock run out on a possible game-tying or game-winning drive while in plus territory, with a timeout in their pocket. That Thanksgiving loss was the straw that broke Matt Eberflus' back, and after being trotted out for one last ill-considered meeting with the media the following day, he was relieved of his duties for good.

Bears fans may have been sick of Eberflus' losing ways, but firing him wasn't enough to get this team back in the win column. Somehow, the Bears have been even worse under interim coach Thomas Brown, as they've gotten pasted in back-to-back weeks by the 49ers and Vikings. Say what you will about Eberflus and his late-game management, at least he usually managed to keep it close.

Bears fans will have one eye on the team's draft position and one eye on this game on Sunday, but unlike past years when the number one pick was in sight, I have to imagine that nearly all Bears fans would just like to see a win more than anything.

Could this be the week that the Bears snap their losing streak? Let's make some bold predictions and find out.

Led by Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions offense will put on a show

The most exasperating part of the Matt Eberflus era is that for all of his faults as a head coach, he was actually a very good defensive coordinator. The Bears have missed him in that respect since he's been gone, because now that Eric Washington is calling the defensive plays, the Bears haven't been able to stop a nosebleed.

The Niners were without most of their star-studded offense when they faced the Bears two weeks ago, but they still ran roughshod to the tune of 38 points. So did the Vikings, who scored 30 of their own on Monday night.

Bad news for the Bears: the Lions offense is better than both of those teams'. Detroit leads the league in points per game, and though they'll be without David Montgomery after he injured his knee in the loss to the Bills last week, that just means more touches for Jahmyr Gibbs. The Sonic part of the Sonic and Knuckles duo will be out for revenge for his fallen echidna brother, and with the third Sonic movie hitting theaters this week, I can already see the headlines after the Blue Blur puts up a big game.

We wrote earlier this week about what the Bears need to do to impress Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, but Johnson will have every incentive to impress the Bears. Every touchdown his dynamic offense manages to score could increase his asking price if he's at the Halas Hall negotiating table this offseason.

The Bears shut the Lions down in the second half on Thanksgiving, and that's not likely to sit well in the Detroit locker room. With an extra day of preparation since the Bears played on Monday night, expect the Lions to put up a big number.

DJ Moore finally breaks out

Bears number one receiver DJ Moore is 12th in the NFL in receptions, a stat I would not have believed if I wasn't reading it on ESPN right now. It's felt like a down season for Moore, who has been visibly upset at the state of the Bears offense at times, and outshined by Keenan Allen at others.

Moore's 76 receptions may rank him among the elite class of receivers in the league, but his 758 yards, which is only good for 31st, tell a different story. Moore just hasn't made many plays down the field this year, instead relying on quick screens near the line of scrimmage for much of his output.

Moore received a season-high 16 targets the last time these two teams met. Most of those were in the second half as the Bears made their furious comeback, but despite managing 97 yards and a touchdown, the connection between Moore and Caleb Williams wasn't very efficient, as he only caught half the balls thrown his way.

Keenan Allen has seemed more like this offense's featured receiver than Moore lately, with underwhelming results. The former Charger scored a touchdown and had a nice toe-drag catch on the sideline last week, but he also dropped multiple balls. Expect Caleb to put his trust in Moore this week instead, and for DJ to deliver his best game of the season against the league's 26th-ranked pas defense. We'll predict nine catches for 130 yards and a touchdown for Moore.

The Bears once again come close but fall just short of victory

Maybe this isn't a bold prediction, since the Bears have made an unnerving habit of coming close before falling short, but maybe it is since the Bears have been getting cooked lately.

The Lions are 12-2 this season, and the last time they lost a game, they rolled off 11 wins in a row. Dan Campbell has done a heck of a job in transforming this team into Super Bowl contenders. Detroit hasn't lost two straight games since October of 2022, and it doesn't feel like they're going to interrupt that run by falling short against a team that has lost eight in a row.

I expect the script to be flipped a bit from when these teams met three weeks ago. The Lions may be a bit hungover after their desperate comeback attempt fell short against the Bills on Sunday, while the Bears are determined to get off to a good start just once this season. Unlike on Thanksgiving, I expect the Bears to surge out to an early lead (cue Bears fans channeling their inner Vizzini from The Princess Bride — inconceivable!), only for the Lions to gather their wits and come back in the second half, wearing the Bears defense down with chunk plays from Jahmyr Gibbs.

The game will end up close in the fourth quarter, but the Lions know how to win and the Bears, sadly, don't. Lions 34, Bears 30.